Did Commercial Bass Season Open Today?

[Dave Peros]

Hi Bob - As far as the C & R problem (when it is done poorly such as recreational folks racking up big numbers of small fish and/or keeping the fish out of the water far too long for photos or laying them on the sand or a deck of a boat so they can post them on the Internet and get all kinds of strokes of their ego OR commercials yanking fish out of the water and ripping hooks out because they are frustrated at small fish or gaffing-and-releasing (although, I believe gaffs are illegal in MA now), the means may be different, but the end result is the same: dead, wasted fish in far too great a number. There is no way of eliminating dead releases in fishing - other than not fishing at all - but taking the time to try and do it right isn't a bad place to start.

And I agree that I have a bad habit of using the same brush and including "all fishermen" when discussing an issue, but I hope that folks recognize that I know everyone isn't at fault. I was once taken to task for saying "you people drive my crazy" when talking to a parent about their child's playing time, which was disrespectful at the time and remains so today. Thanks for reminding me of my bad habit.

Finally,  I am going to assume you mentioned charter boats since I am in the business of taking people out fishing for money. I have tried to distance myself from the bait and wire line segment of the industry by calling myself a "guide" who emphasizes education and proper handling of the resource, but I appreciate your calling me out for my failure to include charter operations, who are as much of the dead release issue as any group.

[danny_a]

Or having charter guys keep every single fish even if the customer doesn't want to keep any.  Just so they can sell it commercially on the side.  The money made from 2x6 fish + the charter + tip = a pretty profitable day for some captains back in the day.  Some did multiple trips a day.  Then you had those sneaks that liked to go fish the night before on the off commercial day and sell the next morning.  That was a long time practice from Boston to the Cape.  Believe me, I know.

 

And you want to talk about people stroking their own ego on the internet.  The charter guys did that in the fishermen magazine for decades way before the internet was popular. 

 

Ego stroking and bragging rights among charter boat captains is not a new thing.  You're old enough and in the business to know this.  Anyone in that business knows that it's competitive.  Everyone wants the most and largest fish to brag to their competition.  If they don't then they're lying.  They want to be known as the best on the north shore, best in Boston, and best down the Cape, or whatever region.

 

Just glad you realized or was remiss after it was pointed out to you.   It's not just commercial fishermen and C&R recs...

 

Good luck this year, Captain.

[stifftip]

nice rant    keep it rolling you are right   but dave    and anyone else.    he who has never sinned cast the first stone  i look at it like this, someone with a lot more brains and authority than me ?  has said go fish  and kill our precious few remaining bass  its ok  we have lots of them .  so I go fishing  but I don't see lots of them I don't see any of them ??? our dinosaur  striped  bass are GONE !!!!!!  and we all did it ,everyone had a hand in the destruction of the bass fishery . the rec guys , the commercial fisherman men, and plenty of environmetal  issues  so don,t throw the blame on one group   we are all guilty       btw i did not sell a bass last season  don't look good this yr  time for a moratorium on killing striped bass  iv,e been through it before 

[FizzyFish]

1 hour ago, bob_G said:

Dave 

You painted all striper fishermen using the same brush. Both commercial and recreational.   Interesting you left charter boats out of the conversation?

"No charter operators in commercial bass fishing, period."    No EPO's in commercial fishing, period. 

[Dave Peros]

15 mins ago, danny_a said:

Or having charter guys keep every single fish even if the customer doesn't want to keep any.  Just so they can sell it commercially on the side.  The money made from 2x6 fish + the charter + tip = a pretty profitable day for some captains back in the day.  Some did multiple trips a day.  Then you had those sneaks that liked to go fish the night before on the off commercial day and sell the next morning.  That was a long time practice from Boston to the Cape.  Believe me, I know.

 

And you want to talk about people stroking their own ego on the internet.  The charter guys did that in the fishermen magazine for decades way before the internet was popular. 

 

Ego stroking and bragging rights among charter boat captains is not a new thing.  You're old enough and in the business to know this.  Anyone in that business knows that it's competitive.  Everyone wants the most and largest fish to brag to their competition.  If they don't then they're lying.  They want to be known as the best on the north shore, best in Boston, and best down the Cape, or whatever region.

 

Just glad you realized or was remiss after it was pointed out to you.   It's not just commercial fishermen and C&R recs...

 

Good luck this year, Captain.

Couldn't have said it better; excellent points. Far too many, not all, charter operations pushed for the slot limit at the hearing I attended at Mass Maritime in 2019, leading to the slot limit that will decimate the 2015 year class, our best hope, at the moment for the future. People often ask me why charter operations just want to kill fish when it will ultimately kill their business; I leave that to wiser folks to answer since I have never been able to figure it out, except for chalking it up to greed and shortsightedness, as well as ego. Amazing how many people bolster their sense of worth by being able to catch a creature that has a brain about the size of a pea!

As for charter operations and EPO's being able to commercial fish, I have had some pretty rough "conversations" on the subject over the years. Fish and wildlife folks in Florida looked at me like I was clueless when I asked if they could hold commercial permits. And one of the charter captains I have always liked got all red faced and foamy at the mouth when I said he shouldn't be able to commercial fish for bass, especially when he was doing a charter.

[Kones1]

Lobbyist. Rec guys don’t have them to persuade the rule makers to not listen to the scientific system that is paid for by tax dollars. Want to pontificate for a bit over that maybe ?

[Dave Peros]

17 hours ago, Kones1 said:

Lobbyist. Rec guys don’t have them to persuade the rule makers to not listen to the scientific system that is paid for by tax dollars. Want to pontificate for a bit over that maybe ?

Perhaps the anglers individually don't, but they are represented by groups such as the Recreational Fishing Alliance, Coast Conservation Association, etc. that lobby for their interests. Actually, the RFA lobbied for gutting the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the only responsible piece of federal legislation protecting fish stocks, as well as something called Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act of 2017 which was basically a way for the fishing tackle and boating industries to make sure recreational anglers can kill more fish. 

From what I see, the only lobby the recreational angler has, especially when it comes to responsible, science based management and conservation, is to make his or her voice heard, as we just saw with the Amendment 7 Public Information Document hearings. 

[The BuzzardsBayBruin]

On 6/16/2021 at 11:13 PM, evancanalrat said:

Scum bag comm guys are at it again. 

Scum bag comm guys? You still blame them because you suck at fishing?

[Kones1]

7 hours ago, The BuzzardsBayBruin said:

Scum bag comm guys? You still blame them because you suck at fishing?

That’s funny right there 

[Angler #1]

1 hour ago, Kones1 said:

That’s funny right there 

Especially when during a fishing season one will find that there catching abilities will not always remain stead fast . We all go through cycles , some stay in them longer then others because they do not believe in experimenting or simply trying something a little different until they witness some one else be successful. Peace and Prayers 

[b-ware]

On 6/19/2021 at 10:19 AM, Dave Peros said:

Do you think? How about getting rid of all the part timers who claim to be "commercial" bass fishermen and kill far too many fish out of frustration over not being able to catch a sellable fish and thus employ questionable "catch-and-release" methods. I laughed when the head of the striped bass program in MA in 2019 answered my question at a hearing about why they were going to exempt commercials from using circle hooks and he said they were better fishermen. If recreational anglers can be accused of wasting too many fish by hiding behind C & R (how many 16-inch schoolies do you have to catch?), then commercials ripping on short fish is probably even worse.

How about banning poachers and rule breakers permanently from the fishery? They know exactly what the rules are and still insist on trying to skirt them and they can try and argue that they can't feed their family and pay their bills, but if they and their brethren "broke" the fishery, then they must suffer the consequences. 

Time for the MA DMF to wake up and make a commercial season a limited entry fishery; document legitimate participation in commercial fishing through taxes and other documentation. No charter operators in commercial bass fishing, period. No EPO's in commercial fishing, period. 

And if the fishery is in trouble, don't keep adding days because they (the DMF) is desperate to fill the quota. Step up to the plate, take the lead on responsible commercial fishing (yes, it can be done!), and lead the way.

Finally, comments like "the scumbags are back at it" don't add to the dialogue, so knock it off. This bass situation is a problem that needs responsible solutions, not finger pointing. 

Good point Dave, get rid of the part time commercial guys and while your at it what about the part time landscapers, carpenters, snow plow operators and my pet peeve, tackle makers.......

 

My opinion, for what it matters, make the commercial license so expensive only the pros will buy it and while we are talking money, let the commercial guys buy the resourse up front as in tags.

 

[Pickerel92]

16 hours ago, The BuzzardsBayBruin said:

Scum bag comm guys? You still blame them because you suck at fishing?

well he’s a canal rat, so he’s probably referring to all the altercations and illegal (I.e, scumbag) activity that occurred on the canal during commercial fishing days. The reason why comm fishing became banned from the canal. Has nothing to do with fishing ability.

[The BuzzardsBayBruin]

1 min ago, Pickerel92 said:

well he’s a canal rat, so he’s probably referring to all the altercations and illegal (I.e, scumbag) activity that occurred on the canal during commercial fishing days. The reason why comm fishing became banned from the canal. Has nothing to do with fishing ability.

My thoughts didn’t go to the canal, now that you explain it I can see what he means by scum bag. 

[evancanalrat]

I don’t fish the canal anymore, it’s an absolute dumpster fire. The recreational value of Striped Bass exceeds its commercial value. Especially when the breeding biomass is being gutted by the commercial guys. If you aren’t a proponent of a moratorium(comm and Rec)at this point, you’re part of the problem. 

Edited June 25, 2021 by evancanalrat

[oldgoat]

I read this whole tread and not one of you guys hit on the seals.

So much for experts.